Prioritizing Active Travel While You Can

I’ve had hip trouble for the last year that has impacted my walking, and thus has impacted my travel, which inspires this week’s article…

Prioritizing Active Travel While You Can

For the last year, I’ve had trouble walking due to arthritis in my hip. In my head I feel way too young to need a hip replacement, but my body disagrees. Last year, after spending a couple of weeks in Ireland followed by another ten days in Poland, all that walking took its toll on an underlying condition I had ignored, and I’ve been hobbling ever since.

So, why am I talking about this now? Because it has seriously cramped my style and impacted my ability to travel fully. The pain and discomfort of walking has made me second-guess certain trips. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to go to the Galapagos, but I had to pass. The focus of land excursions to see the wildlife where I’d be walking on uneven trails and navigating inclines just wasn’t feasible. Similarly, I turned down a trip to Australia because it was too physically demanding. I’ve found myself analyzing every travel opportunity against my ability to walk for extended periods.

I think this is an important topic as you plan your travel for the next 5-10-20 years. One reminder of this came from a notification I received for a client traveling to China. The cruise line had a very detailed list of reasons why physical fitness is crucial for visiting that destination.

Here’s what they said:

“Physical Fitness & Accessibility for China: While generally our activities/voyages are not physically demanding, due to the inherent challenges in China with ship and airport access, as well as excursion terrain in this region, these voyages are not recommended for guests who require mobility assistance or who rely on any sort of walker, wheelchairs, or motorized scooters. Please consider the following:

• Airports: Many airports in China lack ramps and elevators, rendering them inaccessible for mobility aids. Additionally, motorized wheelchairs and scooters are not permitted on board domestic planes in this region. Lithium batteries cannot be placed in checked baggage and must be hand-carried as onboard carry-ons.

• Excursions: You will visit ancient sites with uneven terrain as well as narrow and uneven stairs. To participate in the tours, you must be able to walk along this type of terrain independently.

• Ship Access: Guests must be able to independently walk up and down steps and ramps. The ramps and stepped gangways do not support walkers, wheelchairs, or motorized scooters.”

Looking into your future and evaluating your ability to walk and move with comfort is crucial. Your physical condition can change suddenly, just as mine did. I’m scheduled for a hip replacement next week and will be out of the office for a while during my recovery. While I’m extremely disappointed that I had to cancel some very important trips for this surgery and recuperation time, I’m excited to think of future travels when I can walk comfortably again. For the past year, my constant thought process has been about minimizing walking and finding places to sit—hardly a good formula for exploring amazing destinations.

When planning your future travels, prioritize destinations that require a younger, fitter version of yourself. Don’t wait for “someday” that might never come if a physical issue affects your ability to move comfortably.

In the past, when clients asked if they should take a European river cruise or take a cruise on the Mississippi River or Columbia and Snake Rivers, I’ve always advised them to go outside the U.S. first. The American Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures that most U.S. sites are accessible, something you won’t find on European cobblestone streets.

Now I’ve updated that advice to prioritize trips that include remote or less developed infrastructure, maneuvering more uneven surfaces, or involve somewhat rigorous activities.

Now I am intent on reviewing my travel plans for the next 3-5 years and focusing on planning the more physically demanding trips that are at the top of my bucket list. We have our Mekong River cruise in Vietnam and Cambodia this coming February, which includes another eight days exploring those countries on land. Next, I’ll be arranging a Galapagos expedition, which I’ve been wanting to do for years, and hosting an African safari small group trip. None of these are feasible for me right now, but will be soon, underscoring the need to prioritize based on physical capability.

If you like hiking or biking on vacation, you’ve probably already considered these issues. But for those of us who just want to explore without the exhaustion or discomfort, it’s essential to be steady on our feet and able to handle long walking tours.

This is a call to thoughtfully dream about your travel future.
Think about the physical requirements of your desired destinations, so you can prioritize the more demanding activities sooner rather than later. This way, you can fulfill your “someday” travel dreams while you’re still physically able.

During my recovery, I want to expand my list of future travels – to consider all the options out there and discover those quirky little locations that I want to make sure to see. I’ll be pulling out my ‘top destinations of world’ and ‘places to go before you die’ type books and dreaming of the top sights and experiences I want to create in my life.

Being intentional with designing a travel plan that incorporates all those bucket list destinations, balanced with the considerations of the physical requirements and other logistics, is my new focus. Once I’m back to work, if you’d like to discuss laying out your travel plan so you can organize your adventures in a strategic way to align your physical ability with your dream trips, give me a call. Now is the time to think about and plan for these adventures.

As you look forward to your future travels, make sure to consider those that require more physical capability, and plan them sooner rather than later.